Wheaton College students respond to football team hazing allegations

WHEATON – Wheaton College senior Jacob Walhout of Wheaton doesn't know quite how he feels about the hazing allegations lodged against five members of the school's football team.

"It's definitely hard to know what to do, how to treat everyone fairly while still being sensitive to all the issues," Walhout said. "And obviously, there's a larger connection with what we want to say about football culture and how we treat victims. I think it's tough because there's a lot of related issues."

[Mark Busch file photo - mbusch@shawmedia.com]

Walhout said he is not ready to say the football players were at fault. He would like more information to come out about the incident.

"It's hard to know if there is a full picture, if it's possible to have a full picture," he said. "It's tough because it's a complex issue."

However, he said the allegations have cast a sad mood over the college.

"Regardless of what happened, it's sad," Walhout said. "And it's hard to know what to do."

[Mark Busch file photo - mbusch@shawmedia.com]

Fellow Wheaton College senior Freddy Sanchez of La Grange also said he would like to know more about what happened.

"I don't feel like people should be on one side or the other, just because there isn't exact information out there yet about it," Sanchez said. "There's not enough evidence yet, and I want to listen to my peers who are on the football team, but I also want to side with the victim... There are people saying the victim exaggerated some of the facts, and there are people saying that the football players are trying to make it seem as if it isn't that big of a deal."

However, he doesn't think the allegations have divided the campus.

"It's just creating for some more issues and more stress than they need right now," Sanchez said.

[Photos provided]

At about 11:20 p.m. March 19, 2016, Wheaton police officers responded to Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield regarding an incident that involved members of the Wheaton College football team.

The victim reported receiving serious injuries when he was attacked by five members of the team and left in a field with his limbs secured with tape.

Kyler Kregel, 21, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; James Cooksey, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla.; Samuel TeBos, 22, of Allendale, Mich.; Noah Spielman, 21, of Columbus, Ohio; and Benjamin Pettway, 21, of Lookout Mount, Ga., were each charged with aggravated battery, mob action and unlawful restraint. They have all turned themselves in to police.

They each were released on a cash bond after $50,000 arrest warrants were issued for them, and they will appear in court Oct. 23.

Spielman is the son of former NFL player Chris Spielman.

[Mark Busch file photo - mbusch@shawmedia.com]

Wheaton College officials said in a statement that they took "swift action to initiate a thorough investigation" when the incident was brought to their attention by other members of the football team and coaching staff in March 2016.

"Our internal investigation into the incident, and our engagement with an independent, third-party investigator retained by the college, resulted in a range of corrective actions," officials said in the statement. "We are unable to share details on these disciplinary measures due to federal student privacy protections."